The roll-out of the e-way Bill has been advanced from April 1 and the new system is set to be implemented from tomorrow: February 1. The decision to implement the system of e-way Bill for the inter-state movement was done with the dual purpose; first to curb tax evasion and second, for seamless movement of goods. Under the e-way bill system, a transporter is required to have online pre-registration of goods before transportation under the new GST regime. All goods worth Rs 50,000 will require pre-registration before they are moved for sale beyond 10 km.
For now, the e-Way bill is only for the inter-state movement, while states can roll it out for intra-state movement voluntarily. The mandatory compliance of e-way bill for intra-state movement of goods from June 1. Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Kerala have already rolled-out the e-way bill system.
According to the GST Network, the e-way bill will be valid all over India and transporters will not be required to visit any tax office or check post. It can be generated electronically and in self-service mode. Transporters can enable e-way bill generation on the official portal through mobile App, SMs and through offline tools as well. For generating the e-way bill, one will be required to visit the portal ‘ewaybill.nic.in’ and register themselves by giving the GSTIN.
Those who are not registered under the GST can register themselves using Aadhaar or PAN card. The transporter or trader can enter the vehicle number to generate the e-way bill. In case of vehicle breakdown or transhipment, the vehicle number can be updated. However, there is one demerit. Once the bill is generated, it cannot be cancelled for 24 hours.
The mandatory compliance of e-way bill is not for goods like fruits, vegetables, fish and water, and non-motorised conveyance. With the roll-out of the e-way bill, the government is hopeful of curbing the tax evasion. Arun Jaitley, after the latest GST Council meeting, said that there was a need to check tax evasion and the e-way bill could a big role. The GSTN also said that that tax officials can conduct random verification of the bill, but if any transporter faces detention for more than 30 minutes, he can file a report.
